Margarita Gorbounova

Margarita Gorbounova enjoyed the thrill of competing at the Paralympic Games in her adoptive homeland in 2010. In 2014 she returned to her birthplace wearing Canadian colours as Sochi, Russia hosted the Games. The St.Petersburg born cross-country skier and biathlon racer was introduced to para-nordic skiing by her parents, also both visually impaired.

Her mother, Olga Nazarenko, represented Russia in para-nordic skiing, winning gold at the Tignes-Albertville 1992 Paralympic Winter Games, and her father, Mikhail Gorbounov, is a middle distance runner who has won gold and silver medals in the European Championships and completed twenty-five international marathons.

Gorbounova, who was born with cataracts resulting in almost complete visual impairment, was initially attracted to the sport to combat boredom during the winter. In 1999, the family moved to Canada, but it was not until they settled in Ottawa in 2005, that she started to think about taking up the sport competitively.

For the Vancouver Paralympic Winter Games in 2010, she teamed-up with her mother’s former guide, Robert d’Arras.

For 2013-14, Gorbounova’s guide was Andrea Bundon who resided across the country in Vancouver. They showed great chemistry but training together was difficult because of the distance that separated them. Gorbounova met the qualifying standard for cross-country skiing in January 2013 at the IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup in Cable, Wisconsin.

Besides cross country skiing, Gorbounova also runs. For blind biathletes, their special rifles must be plugged into an electrical outlet. Gorbounova often practices her marksmanship in her basement in the off-season.

Gorbounova works as a French-English translator for the federal government.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2010 and 2014 Paralympian… Won a World Cup bronze medal in the 2012-13 season.

PERSONAL

FAMILY: Both her parents also have a visual impairment… Her mother, Olga Nazarenko, represented Russia in para-Nordic skiing, winning gold at the Tignes-Albertville 1992 Paralympic Winter Games… father, Mikhail Gorbounov, is a middle distance runner who has won gold and silver medals in the European Championships.

GETTING INTO THE SPORT: Her father taught her to ski at age seven in St. Petersburg, Russia. She stopped skiing for six years while she lived in Toronto, until she began training and competing again in Ottawa in 2005.